Bethesda RPGs are typically jam-packed with tiny details that most players will never notice, but which all contribute to the sense that you're existing in this reactive, believable world. "It's not just that I kill someone with a sword and there's a reaction to the crime," says former Bethesda producer Jeff Gardiner. "It's the sense that there's this living world around you and things happen."
Gardiner left Bethesda in 2021 and founded Wyrdsong developer Something Wicked Games, but after 15 years with the company, he's got plenty of stories. He recalls how much freedom the teams were given, and how, once they were finished with their assigned tasks, they were "free to do the cool stuff", which blessed Fallout and The Elder Scrolls with all their tiny details.
